Inside Maayo Hotel – Cebu’s Newest Wellness Hotel

Maayo Hotel, located in the same building as Maayo Medical, is the first premier hotel in Mandaue City. It’s one of the newest properties in 2017 that diversified Cebu’s accommodations. So, together with staycation junkies Neil, Brennan of The Weekend Dispatch , and Doi of The Travelling Feet , we explored this completely new, stylish, and wellness-conscious hotel, which sits only 15 minutes away from the airport.

Maayo Hotel had its soft opening on November 1 and its official opening is scheduled in February 2018. During the soft opening period, the hotel is offering its rooms at 70% discount. Meaning, instead of paying P8,000 a night for a superior room, you only pay P2,800 nett, inclusive of bed and breakfast for two. (Thanks Brennan for the scoop!)

Maayo is a Cebuano word, an adjective for a lot of things. It means well, kind, and talented. You hear the word from all staff whenever you meet them within the property: Maayong pag-abot! (Welcome!) Maayong adlaw! (Good day!) Maayong buntag! (Good morning.) Maayong gabie! (Good evening!) It’s an apt name for a hotel that promises wellness and retreat in the middle of a bustling city.

Checking In

The check-in process was inefficient yet warm (with a cool glass of welcome drinks given to each guest). We had to sign a couple of forms and waited for thirty minutes for our rooms to be ready. Apparently, every occupant in the room must submit a valid ID upon check-in. I’m not sure if they implement this rule to all guests but it’s written on their compendium of policy. (It’s not the case in Hotel Elizabeth Cebu.)

While we were not happy with the check-in, we understand that this is quite common during a hotel’s soft opening stage. They are still fine-tuning their services. With training, I’m positive they will be able to improve their reception of guests.

The check-in service made us doubt for a minute the hotel’s 4-star rating. Yet after a glimpse of the sprawling lobby on the seventh floor, the same area as the reception desk, my doubts had completely dissipated.

The Lobby

It’s hard to take a bad picture at Maayo Hotel’s lobby, where every design detail was outstanding.

I raised my eyes and saw sparkling Christmas-themed decorations. High ceiling has always impressed me – it creates a feeling of spaciousness and glamour. I closed my eyes and thought to myself,

This it it. A weekend getaway I’ve been longing to have.

The hotel lobby is located on the seventh floor and it has floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking Mandaue City. This part also doubles as a lounge bar called “Dayun” where you can grab merienda (snacks) buffet-style. At the moment, they offer varied Filipino snacks with drinks (coffee, chocolate drinks, juices, etc.) at P250/person from 2pm to 5pm daily.

Neil’s grin was ear to ear when he spotted the hotel’s eat-all-you-can merienda buffet sign. Brennan and Doi were easily persuaded to sample Dayun’s wide array of snacks. Among our favorites were pansit guisado (noodle dish), halo-halo, binignit (Visayan dessert soup), sapin-sapin (layered sticky rice cake), etc. After the meal (because to say we just had snacks would be a lie), we were perfectly sleepy to hit the hay.

What’s the Room Like?

The turquoise hues of the floors, walls, and furniture inside our room were surprisingly calming. At about 25 square meters, the designer was able to squeeze in a large bathroom, plenty of storage spaces, a queen-sized bed with a leathery headboard, lamps, large mirrors, a flat screen (Sharp) TV, electronic heater, and a mini-bar (which contents were consumable).

The space between the bed and the glass window is enough for an adult to do yoga and other exercises. Dumb bells and yoga mats are also available upon request. What I loved most about the room were the plush seats – I’d wanted reading/lounging chairs like these for ages.

Room Service

Meals that stink are not allowed inside the room. When you order room service, the items on the menu are mostly fried and can be eaten inside the room. We ordered fish and chips as well as fried chicken with rice. Their staff came after 30 minutes with everything we ordered. I guess this is one of the perks of staying in a hotel during its soft opening.

Other Hotel Amenities

The hotel directly caters to Maayo Medical patients and their families. The Department of Health recognized the property as Cebu’s first medical tourism destination. But locals and tourists can also see for themselves what’s in store for them in this urban retreat.

A few other noteworthy amenities in this hotel include a gym, an indoor pool, a jogging trail and an infinity pool on the rooftop.

Takeaway

I can’t wait to try their other restaurant when it opens next year. Our stay was restful – their food, room and services were lovely! If the rate remains at P2,800 nett for bed and breakfast, I might consider coming back for Maayo Hotels’ official opening in February 2018.